Red Stone Reincarnate
by Emerald Kitten Tail
Summary: Searing hot heat burns through Harry's skin as small dribbles of blood flow down his body. What are the effects on young harry's life when the Philosopher Stone shatters into his body. Left with scars, wrapped like a mummy, without magic, and treated like yesterdays garbage; how will he find his path in life? Runes and potions, as well as a slow body transformation is the key.
1. Chapter 1

Fire was burning all around him. If he had to guess they were a safety measure put around the stone in case someone managed to actually get it from the mirror. Sweat was starting to form on his brow but that mattered little in comparison to the red liquid running down his body.

They were small but he could feel little pin pricks all over his body, even in his eyes, from when the Philosopher's stone exploded in his hand as he fought back against Professor Quirrell. The stinging hurt like heck but he tried to ignore it as best as he could, it did amaze him that his eyes hadn't popped from the shards when they pierced him.

Looking around he tried to find a way to escape, completely ignoring the pile of ash sitting in the middle of the chamber. Fear flew through his mind as he didn't see anything that would help him.

As the flame got closer and closer Harry could feel his skin starting to heat up rather uncomfortably. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted his robes starting to ignite. Moving as fast as the 11-year-old could possibly go he threw the cloth off and into the fire. For a moment, he watched as the flames raised ever so slightly where he threw it.

Jarring his mind from the flames he tried searching once more. Taking a few steps farther into the chamber he came to a rest no less than two feet away from his teachers remains. Taking in a few short breaths, Harry strained his eyes as much as he could to try and find a gap in the wall of destruction that surrounded him.

Finally, he spotted it.

Off in the left corner there was an ever so slight trail that the flames were not consuming. While he did wonder if it was a trap, young Harry also knew that at the moment he really didn't have any other option. Swallowing his fear, Harry ran as fast as he could.

Weaving through the flames, he felt it graze over his flesh and he knew that he was going to be covered in burns of some sort. When he finally reached the entrance way his clothes were practically reduced to scrapes and most of his hair had been burnt off. Wanting to get away from the flaming room the young boy scurried on out and into the room containing the potions.

Taking a few deep breaths, Harry released them in rather heavy wheezes that made his lungs hurt something terrible. Without his notice, his eyes started to drop and what little energy he had left depleted almost instantaneously.

Not even able to move an inch Harry's body stumped down in an unconscious heap on the cold stone floor. If he had just lasted a minute or two later, he would have seen the headmaster come rushing in with a mix of a scared and furious complexion.

Slowly Harry could feel his mind starting to wake up. He could feel something soft under his body so it must be a bed. That really only left him with two choices of where he might be. Either he was still asleep in his dorm bed and he dreamt everything that happened the night before or most likely, he fell unconscious afterwards and was now stuck inside the infirmary at school.

Cracking his eyes open the first thing Harry noticed was that everything was dark. Not that it was night time, but everything in his vision was black. There was no room around him to see nor was there a large window that he knew was attached to the far wall away from the doors.

Freaking out a little, he tried to lift his arms to figure out what was going on, keyword _tried_. Not even an inch off the bed he felt something tug on his arms to keep them in place. This did nothing to calm the young boy down, nothing at all.

Taking in a few quick short breaths Harry tried to pull his arms once more but when he tried it another time, he felt pain shoot up his entire arm. As skillfully as he could, the child held in the scream that tried to escape his lips.

After what felt like eternity, the pain stopped throbbing inside him. Letting himself calm down as much as he possible could, which wasn't as much as he wished he could, he tried to think this through. Taking a few sniffs of the air around him, he could instantly tell he was in some kind of medical center. No regular place could get that smell of sick, sterile, and blood quite like a one of those could.

That left him with a very few options. One, he was in the infirmary like he thought. Two, he was moved to a magical hospital. And finally, the magicals had dumped him off at a muggle hospital and washed their hands with him. Honestly, he kind of hoped it wasn't the last one or he wouldn't be able to get any answers to what happened the night before. Trying to take a steady breath, the child called out for the first time since waking up.

"Hello! Madam Pomphrey?" his voice was rough but it was still loud enough to echo throughout the room he was in.

The silence was rather maddening to tell the truth. Trying again, he called out for the woman but again he didn't get any answer. Wanting desperately to bite his lip in frustration, Harry had to settle for trying to wiggle his fingers incase his lips were damaged in some way.

The second he moved his finger he felt something similar to a cast or gauze wrapped around his middle finger. Thinking back on it, he remembered the moment the stone shattered in his direction before its pieces all pierced into his body. That would explain why he couldn't see anything at the moment. Some of the stone had gone into his eyes at one point and they had to cover them after taking them out.

A small weight lifted from his chest when he realized why it was that he couldn't see. There was something wrapped around his head to keep the light from effecting his eyes or him getting infections. A small breath escaped him at that. Hopefully he would heal soon and be back to 100% before school officially ended. He really didn't want to go back to his relative's house injured, it would only make them think that they could harm him more.

For what felt like hours young Harry just sat there in utter silence and way too much darkness than he would like. Not once did he hear anyone enter the room, he was being kept in. Finally getting fed up with sitting in one place for so long without even sound to distract him, Harry started wondering what the Philosopher's stone could have done to him when it was thrusted into his body. He knew magic was funky at times so there was the possibility that this may have affected him somehow. Unfortunately, he didn't know of any way to be able to check if his body had changed in anyway without either being able to see or feel his magic.

That was one thing that didn't sit to well with him. For almost a year he had been able to really feel the magic circulate throughout his body but for some odd reason, he couldn't feel an ounce of it at the moment. It's entirely possible that the healer somehow suppressed his magic just in case it reacted negatively to the stone shards but that was only if he was even still in the magical world.

Getting more than a little fed up with just sitting there Harry decided it would be more useful if he just tried to fall asleep for a little bit. Maybe when he wakes up something will be different about his current situation. Not even a minute later the wounded child was once more in the realm of the unconscious.

Like the last time Harry woke up, he first tried to crack his eyes open. Unlike last time where everything was pitch black, this time the moment his eyes opened ever so slightly a blinding flash of light was glaring him right in the eye. Hissing in pain, he tried to turn his head away from the source of his pain but found he was unable to move his head. Shaking his head a few times he tried to figure out what it was that was holding him still but alas he failed.

Slowly and steadily, Harry opened his eyes to the waking world once more.

The first thing he saw was the boring and bland stone ceiling. It took a moment to realize what it was exactly but when it finally clicked in his mind his back tried to jerk up into a sitting position. Sadly, he wasn't able to get far and his body was jerked back like he was tied to a giant rubber band.

Without his notice a growl of irritation escaped his throat. Why was it that whomever it was that was keeping him was so against him getting up and looking around! It like they never dealt with a preteen before and just thought they could sit still for long without needing to get up. Speaking of which, he was a little surprised he hadn't felt the need to use the bathroom yet. That was usually the first thing he had to do when he woke up.

Sighing once more, Harry stared up at the ceiling, just hoping something would happen. Heck he would even be willing to read a book if it would just give him something to do! Figuring it was worth a shot he tried calling out once more but he did let his irritation show just a little bit.

"Hello! Is anyone there? I'm awake now and I would really like someone to tell me what happened!" the room was silent once more as his voice echoed. Just before he started screaming in frustration, he heard a door slam shut with a small bang.

Focusing his hearing as hard as he could, he tried to figure out who it might be. From the light steps, he could hear it was either a female or someone really light on their feet. They came in a steady pace, not slowing once nor did they ever speed up. To him, it felt like it was taking forever for this person to get to him. You would think that they would hurry when they have the person strapped down and most likely freaking out more than a little bit on the inside.

When the person finally came to a stop Harry tried to angle his eyes in such a way that he could see them but no matter how hard he moved he couldn't see them.

"Stop squiring, child. You'll only harm yourself even more than you already are." The voice was both firm and warm but it spoke of promise that he wouldn't like the results of what happened if he didn't cease and desist.

Gulping down a bit of air Harry tried to calm himself. This person must be a healer of some kind. There was a moment of silence before Harry finally managed to find his voice. It was still rather weak but he was pretty sure that this mystery person could still hear him.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

He heard a pair of feet shuffle a bit more before a face came into his line of sight. They were rather pretty to the young boy with their rounded face and soft cheeks. They had these weird brown eyes speckled with blue and long eye lashes. Even their lips were pouty looking while their hair was up in a tight bun and the color of moonlight.

When they spoke Harry almost felt like his heart was going to stop. Their voice was more beautiful than any he ever heard before. It was different than earlier but maybe that was because they were trying to get him to not hurt himself.

"My name is Sierra Mcstiek, I'm your healer while you're at St. Mungo's." She paused for a moment to waved her wand over him a few times before continuing, "You gave us all a very nasty scare, Mr. Potter. You had a very extreme case of Magical Exhaustion and to make it worse you had hundreds of little shards of an extremely powerful magical artifact imbedded into your body. We don't even know if we were able to get them all before your body started absorbing them."

Both were silent for a long moment as Harry tried to take in all that he had been told. With a rather grave voice, he asked what was on his mind.

"What will happen to me?" the woman stared down at him for a short moment before she decided on what to tell him.

"Honestly, we aren't entirely sure. To our knowledge, never in known history has there ever been a person able to absorb a magical artifact, let alone something as powerful as the Philosopher's stone. Anything could happen and all we could really do is monitor you and guess at the possible outcomes."

Well crud on a stick! Trying to tense his fingers a little, Harry fought back the urge to scream at the unfairness of his life. Only he would do something that, once again, no one had done before. Surviving some killing curse wasn't enough and now he absorbed a magical stone that created gold and a liquid of immortality. Wasn't that just his luck! To make matters worse he still couldn't feel his magic.

"Will this make it that I can't feel my magic?" to be honest there was two reasons why Harry didn't want to leave the magical world. That was a toss-up of wanting to stay away from his relatives and learning magic with his friends.

Ms. Mcstiek seemed to sit there for a moment and think, not giving a single hint towards what she might say. Inside himself, Harry could feel the fear starting to simmer up towards the top.

"We aren't entirely sure. At the moment, we believe that you will be able to but not until what is left of the stone that is inside you is fully absorbed. Right now, all of your magic is focused on breaking down the stone and supplementing it into your body, blood, and magic. We predict that it should be done by the end of your fourth year."

Fourth year…that meant that he would not be able to use magic again for the next three years. It sucked, especially when you consider how often he seemed to run into trouble. The better question is what he would do in the meantime. He couldn't exactly preform spells in transfiguration, charms, or DADA and he didn't get to start electives until his third year. Potions, Astronomy, and History are really the only classes he would have a chance in and Snape would probably kick him out just because.

Sighing to himself he pushed those thoughts away, "How long have I been here? And how much longer do I have to remain here?"

"It been little over a month since you were brought in by Madam Pomphrey. Fortunately, that means you still have all month of July and August left of your summer before second year." She paused for a little bit to look at the clipboard in her hand, "And you should be able to leave in the next week or two. It all really depends on how long it takes your wounds to fully heal and the few tests we wanted to run on you once you woke up."

Test? What sorts of tests could they possibly do that they couldn't have done when he was asleep? Besides he couldn't even feel his magic running through his body, so it's not like he could do something for them, even if he tried so hard he popped a blood vessel.

"Two weeks? Will I at least be able to get up and walk around?" it was insanely frustrating that he hadn't been able to get up yet or at least look something besides the stupid ceiling. Speaking of which, why was it made of stone like the infirmary at school? He would have thought it would be made of wood or something.

"You will be allowed to move around in a wheelchair at first and then crutches near August. We expect you'll be up and walking around by the last week of August." Harry's eyes shot open so wide he was sure they would pop out any moment now, "those fragments caused a lot of damage to your body but to make it worse, we had to physically cut them out of your body because the Philosopher's stone is resistant to magic, even in shard form."

Swallowing heavily, Harry thought about just what he would have to put up with over the next few months. It was bad enough he was hurt but now it was even worse that he would need someone's help just to get around. Unfortunately, that also brought up another issue. He didn't have anywhere to stay that he could possibly be comfortable at. Maybe the Leaky Cauldron?

"There were also a few visitors for you while you were unconscious. A young girl named Hermione Granger, the Weasley family, and the Flamels." A small blush formed over his cheeks at the woman's words. Believe it or not, Harry actually didn't think anyone would come see him while he was unconscious. The Flamels were definitely a surprise for the young boy. Seeing as how he was the reason their stone was destroyed, he would think that they wouldn't want anything to do with him.

"The Flamels weren't mad with me? ...I mean I did destroy the only thing keeping them alive."

"No child. According to Nicolas they were planning on destroying it this summer anyway, you just beat them to it. He did mention that when you get out of here, you should go to the bank. He wouldn't say why, just that you should."

Relief fill his body like a balloon. Not only were they not mad at him but they were thankful for what he had done. Guess his luck was holding.

Feeling a little groggy, Harry decided he really needed to get some more sleep. Letting out a rather large yawn he closed his eyes and let his consciousness fall into the background.

As soon as the child was asleep the healer couldn't help but smile down at the child. Over the last month, she had gotten more than a little attached to him, even if she hadn't talked to him at all besides today. One thing she hadn't told the injured child was that due to the effects of the Philosopher's stone his body was slowly, very slowly, healing itself from past neglect. What the outcome might be she didn't know but it was bound to be helpful to the child in some way.

Sighing to herself she stuck a small needle into the unconscious boy's arm and withdrew some blood. Now magicals weren't all that good with figuring out DNA or anything like it but thankfully there did have a few muggleborn healers on staff that did work with blood to help figure out diseased and other such things.

When the vials were finally full, she carefully looked at them. Over the past month there had been a slight change in the child's blood. Where at first it was dark red like everyone else, now it was lighter in color and seemed to be on the path to change even more. What it might mean they didn't know but it sure was interesting to all that got to see it happening.

Sitting in the wheelchair was definitely boring for one Harry Potter. He had been finally let out of his bed a few days ago, but figuring out how to get around with it was a pain in his little arse. To make matters worse his hands were still bandaged up so he couldn't even move himself around with them. Instead, he used his feet to gently push or pull himself around his hospital room.

At the moment, the preteen was just sitting in his chair and staring outside his window. There were cars upon cars driving down the busy London street and hundreds of dozens of pedestrians walking along the side walk. Not having anything to do Harry would watch them as they moved or stopped and talked. Most of the time it was random friends meeting up but sometimes he would see a couple hold each other and kissing. They varied from all sorts of couples. Sometimes it was your normal male and female but every once in a while, he would see couples of the same sex kissing like it was just any other day. It wasn't weird to him but it did make him think about all the times his uncle called them faggots, dykes, and freaks.

In the young child's mind, they were like him in a way. They were freaks in his uncle's eyes, just like him, and nothing they did would ever change that man's opinion. It hurt at times but they would only have to look at the good side and could ignore the bigots out there.

Seeing the sky starting to darken with storm clouds Harry turned himself away from the window before wheeling himself over to the small table, a nightstand if anything, and looked for something else to do. Really, he had been here for just under a week, consciously at least, and he had waited for these tests that the healers wanted to do on him. Most of the time they just took more blood from him but still there had to be something else they wanted him to do.

Sighing in frustration he picked up the book that his nurse had been nice enough to bring him. Seeing as he wouldn't be able to do practical magic for a few years, he figured it would be a good idea to start working on the theory at least.

At the moment, he was looking into historical figures. He thought that if he couldn't do magic for a little while, then he could at least look into what it was that made the people so famous. Most of the ones he had found so far were from either creating certain spells that made every day live just a tad easier or took part in some battle. In a few cases the author wouldn't even mention what type of magic the person had used to accomplish their feats. They would gloss over the actual magic and its effects before skipping to the finish, usually the death of someone, and the consequences of the battle in the times afterwards. It was highly frustrating to the preteen as he tried to piece together what it was that these people had done.

Not once did he look up from the book until he heard a light clicking sound. Lifting his head up Harry noticed that Ms. Mcstiek was standing in his doorway with some papers stacked in her hands. Quirking his eyebrow up at her, he couldn't help but wonder what it was that she needed. Usually she only came by to stab him with another needle to get more blood for their tests.

"Well mister Potter, it looks like your free to go. We've done enough testing for now, we'll owl you if we need you to come back." She sent him a small smile before walking over behind him to start pushing him out of the room. "And don't worry about the bill. Your headmaster offered to pay for everything, seeing as you did get hurt because of his little scheme." What neither knew was that the money that was being used to pay for his stay was technically his.

Before he could really even think too much about anything, Harry soon found himself parked out on the sidewalk with a small stack of papers in his lap and his truck shrunken in his pants pocket. Thankfully the hospital was kind enough to help him get dressed that morning. Blinking in confusion, he looked around to try and figure out where he was exactly. Thankfully right down the road he was able to make out the sign of the Leaky Cauldron.

Cursing to himself, Harry started making his way toward the pub. It was rather difficult though with his bandaged hands. All in all, it took the child close to an hour just to make it a few blocks down the road. He was lucky though when someone offered to push him across the crosswalk. They never staid after that but it was nice enough.

With a little bit of footwork and a good bit of leaning Harry managed to pop the door open before rolling himself inside. Not even bothering to stop Harry moved himself over towards the bar to hopefully get a room from Tom the barkeep.

"Excuse me?" his voice came out rather soft but when the balding man turned his head to look at him, he knew that he had heard. For a moment, the man just stared at him in confusion before his eyes drifted down to his wheelchair. A flash of pity appeared in his eyes but it was instantly washed away when he sent a toothless smile at him.

"What can I do for you, young man? Need to get into the Alley, something to eat, or a room?"

"Alley please" nodding the old barkeep strolled around the bar and came to a stop right behind him. Not even bothering to ask him if he needed help Tom started pushing him towards the back door. Thankfully it was empty but Harry was pretty sure that the alley itself was going to be full of people.

With a quick tap on the brick wall the archway easily rolled into place. Just as Harry expected there were loads of people milling around the alley. Turning his head around to thank the older man he was stopped when he started moving once more.

"Down worry about it laddie. Helping you to the bank is the least I can do." Even though he couldn't see it Harry could tell there was a smile on his lips.

Weaving through the crowds was much easier this time than it had when he first came to the alley a year ago. This time people didn't try to shove them aside. Instead they all moved out of their way as soon as they noticed he was in a wheelchair. Harry was pretty sure that they were getting some funny looks from the other pedestrians but he was able to ignore it.

When the duo finally got to the steps of the bank Tom slowly levitated him up onto the top of the stairs. Turning his head to face the man he saw him already walking into the crowd and out of sight. He'd have to remember to thank him later.

Grunting to himself he made his way inside, it was made much easier when one of the goblin guards held the door open for him. Like usually there was the same old bustle of both goblins and humans rushing about doing one thing or another. Ignoring the people around him, Harry made his way over to the nearest teller.

Sadly, when he finally got to the front, he wasn't able to look over the counter, not like he could the last time either.

"Hello? Um…I was told to come to the bank to pick up something from the Flamels? Am I in the right spot?"

Probably shouldn't have said all that in public but he didn't really know what he was supposed to say. There was a silence for a moment from the teller before he heard the sound of feet slamming into the floor and walking away. Nervousness rolled through the young boy as he tried to figure out just what was happening.

"Come with me sir." Harry didn't even get to respond before the Goblin started pushing him down one of the many hallways that connected to the main chamber. Not knowing what to really say Harry wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. The walk was rather long but at least Harry didn't have to get sore feet from it, although his butt was going to feel weird when he was finally able to not sit on it all the time.

When the pair finally stopped at a door, the goblin gave a brief knock before just pushing him right on in. Harry had to blink a little at the blaring white room he was pushed into. From all his history classes Harry had thought that the Goblins were into dark dank caves and stuff but this room looked pretty neat, clean, and definitely not dank at all.

Finally putting him at rest before the rather short desk, the goblin left him and walked around to the other side. There was a moment before the goblin pulled out what looked like a letter opener and a piece of parchment.

"Just a drop of blood and we can find out just who you are and what it is that you need of this bank. If you are indeed the person that the Flamels told us about then this meeting will be easy. But if not, then don't expect to be leaving the bank today."

Gulping to himself Harry held his bandaged hand out. The goblin held his hand ever so gently before pressed the tip of the little blade into his finger. There was a slight sting before it abruptly vanished. Watching Harry followed the drop of blood as it rolled off his finger and fell onto the parchment below.

There was a small flash of light but it quickly dimmed down to show some writing on the piece of stationary. Leaning as far forward as he dared Harry tried to read what it said. As soon as his eyes landed on the name, he swore his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

 _ **Name: Charis Amor James Potter**_

 _ **Nickname: Harry James Potter**_

 _ **Parents: James Potter and Lily Potter ne Evans (deceased)**_

 _ **Godparents: Sirius Black and Alice Longbottom**_

 _ **Hereditary slots: Heir of house Potter, Black, Nikephoros**_

 _ **Inherited slots: Flamel**_

Blinking a few times Harry reread the page a few times, trying to make sure he wasn't going crazy. Sighing the child slumped back into his chair and went over all that he knew.

In the course of the last month he had destroyed a legendary artifact, that his body was now absorbing, and ended up unconscious in a magical hospital for a month's time. He was unable to do magic for the next few years and was practically handicapped for the entirety of this summer. Now he had all this to deal with and no idea on what it all was. Sometimes he hated his life.

He was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of the goblin's harsh chuckle. Looking up at the diminutive creature he wondered what was so funny.

"Well Mr. Potter, it seems that you have quite a fortune. Sadly, you will not be able to access most of it until you are of age. You will be able to wear the heir rings though, so that will at least give you a bit more protection if you get in any form of trouble." The goblin pulled the sheet of parchment and slipped it into a draw of his desk before a light flash filled their vision.

As soon as his eyes cleared up Harry spotted a single box resting upon the desk. Looking at the goblin he motioned for him to go ahead. Reaching forward Harry skimmed his bandaged finger over the lid. Almost instantly the lid popped open to reveal four separate rings resting on what looked like a velvet pillow.

"Once you put them on you will officially become the Heir of the Potter, Black, Nikephoros, and Flamel Families. Of course, you won't be able to access the majority of your finances until you reach the age of seventeen but you will have a drastically increased yearly allowance. You will also have a manager assigned to you, complements of Gringotts, to handle your finances and shares. I would also highly recommend that you have everyone but you removed from your account access lists so only you may withdraw money from your vaults."

Nodding in a bit of a daze Harry reached into the box and grabbed one of the rings, not even noticing the goblin before him grin with excitement before it started filling out some forms. The first ring was rather simple in taste being made of a gold band with a clear diamond center and a gothic F in the center. As soon as it touched his finger it glowed slightly and resized to fit him perfectly. Quickly, he repeated this with the other three rings. Each hand got two rings on them, either on his pointer or middle fingers.

Shaking his head out of the daze that had settled upon his mind Harry looked up at the goblin before him and wondered just what he was going to do now. Being the heir of four families, especially one that has had a man in control of the philosopher stone for around six hundred years which had to bring in extreme amount of wealth, he knew he was going to need to know something about finances in the future. Guess it's something of a good thing that he had a bit more free-time with just studying for the next three years.

Looking at the goblin he tried to make his voice as polite as he could possibly do without sounding patronizing.

"So, what exactly does this do to me, besides financially? Do I own properties? Am I even allowed to live in any of them?"

Shuffling through a few papers the goblin scanned them for a quick second before nodding, "Yes, Mr. Potter, as heir to these families you are allowed to living in any of their properties. However, I would recommend that you continue to stay where you currently reside."

Confusion filled the preteen in excessive amounts. Why in the world would he want to go back to his relative's home, and possibly be abused more than before, when he could go live somewhere else? It just made no sense to the eleven-year-old.

Seeing the fear on his face the goblin decided to elaborate, "I am saying this because it gives you time learn how to function in the magical worlds high society without the difficulties of actually meeting them until you are ready. If you decided to live in one of your properties, you would have to alert the Ministry of your change in residence which would let them know that you have claimed your position of heir. By staying at your current location, you can move in the shadows and much more freely."

"But won't they know I'm the heir when they see the rings? And what about my relatives? They aren't the friendliest people to be around, especially if your magical." He tried to stress the last sentence and hoped the goblin understood where he was trying to say. Understanding flashed in the goblin's eyes before he smirked rather viciously, although Harry wasn't entire sure it was directed at him or not.

"just desire for the rings to become invisible and they will do so. Once that is done nobody will be able to see them, even if they have magical eyes." His smirk got bigger before he reached into one of his draws and pulled out a rather pretty bracelet. It looked like it was made of pure silver with a few random rubies and emerald dangling from it. "This Mr. Potter is one of Gringotts best pieces of magical jewelry available for humans. Essentially, it will create a 'barrier' around the wearer where any human within the zone cannot enter if they intend to harm the wearer. All it needs is a drop of blood on each of the gems and it will sync to you, even if your blood somehow changes over time. It's similar to the blood ward that Albus Dumbledore erected around your place of residence but much more localized and has better qualifications then just Death Eaters." There was a pause for a moment as he thought of something, "I am willing to let you take possession of this artifact if you are willing to let me become your account manager. The standard manager fee is 10% of monthly interest for the entirety of the account, which in this case is more than most people make in four years."

Looking at the goblin Harry couldn't help but wonder if the creature was telling him the truth and not just trying to swindle him. He remembered Hagrid telling him that they were crafting creatures and were willing to do anything to come out on top. But in this case, it didn't seem that the Goblin was trying to harm his account in anyway, especially if he got 10% of the monthly interest which would make him want to do anything to increase said interest so he would make more money.

"Could I have your name, sir? I'd hate to have you as my manager and never know your name." instantly the goblin grinned a close-lipped grin that made it look like his face was going to rip any minute now.

"Names Goldwhip, young sir." Goldwhip held out his hand which Harry gladly took and gave a shake to symbolize their deal. His new manager slid the piece of jewelry over to him, along with the small blade from earlier.

Smiling at nothing in particular Harry dripped a little blood on each of the gems. With each consensual drop of blood, the gems glowed a bit brighter. When the final one fell, the bracelet was glowing a bright golden glow. Not even noticing that his finger had healed once more, Harry slipped the glowing bracelet upon his wrist and watched as the glows seemed to be absorbed into his skin. He didn't feel any different than before but he was pretty sure it was working seeing as the Goblin was still grinning like a loon. The last thing Harry did was get a coin purse full of Galleons and a wallet full of British pounds for when he left the magical Alley.

Seeing as his business was done, he thanked Goldwhip for all his help before the pair headed off to the entrance hall. His manager was nice enough to push him toward the doors and even got him down on the ground beneath the steps. They shook hands once more before going their separate ways.

Smiling to himself, Harry knew that at least something great had come out of the Stone incident. The next three years were definitely going to be different to his last one.

Waking up Harry happily pushed himself up off his bed and reached for his crutches that were resting against his night stand. A dull ache rolled throughout his body but he had long gotten used to it ever since he woke up in the magical hospital a month and a half ago. Putting his arms in the little cuff like things that went around his biceps, Harry slowly made his way toward the bathroom. Along the way, he caught sight of himself in the full body mirror that was placed against the wall for his use.

Even though he had been released from the hospital back in the end of June, he was still wrapped up like a mummy. His entire body was covered from head to toe in pure white bandages, with the exception of his eyes and mouth. Thankfully the bandages were of the magical variety so he didn't need to use the bathroom or shower while he was wrapped up like this. Of course, he had to go back to the hospital every other week to be rewrapped but that was okay.

He did however tend to wear clothing and shoes over his body just to fit in a little bit. Although he still got stared at because of his crutches and bandages, it was much better than when they would fawn all over him the moment they noticed his scar. Thankfully neither Tom the barkeep or Healer Mcstiek had alerted anyone of his current predicament. It definitely made getting around the Alley a lot easier this way. The only problem he had with the wrapping was that he didn't know what he looked like underneath them, even when he went back to the hospital for the rewrap, they didn't let him see himself. It made him worry a little bit that he was scarred or horrible disfigured but he guessed he would find out when he was able to take them off. Unfortunately, that won't be for another year. Yeah, he was a little upset at that but at least he would be able to walk on his own by the end of this summer.

Wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and button up dark green shirt he made his way out of the Leaky cauldron, only stopping once to pay Tom for the room he had rented for the last month. Crutching his way outside into Mundane London Harry made his to nearest bus stop that lead towards the train station. Along the way, he got a few looks of pity and more than a few offers of assistance but he turned them all away. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate them but he wanted to do this on his own.

A quick bus ride later, along with a few stops along the way, Harry found himself firmly seated upon a train heading toward Little Whinging Surrey. It would be around an hour and a half ride but he was okay with that. He even managed to get no one sitting next to him, unknown to him it was because everyone willing to be near him were ill in their intent but were sent away because of his bracelet.

Sitting there Harry munched on a simple honey glazed ham sandwich and sipped a cup of sweat raspberry tea, not as good as fresh cup of regular tea but he liked it anyway. It was rather nice of the ticket lady to run down to the food cart to grab it for him, he also gave her a nice tip for her help. Sighing in content, Harry turned his eye to the country as they flew on by. It looked rather peaceful but he knew he would much rather be flying on his broomstick. Sadly, that was one discovery that he was hating. Seeing as his magic was focused on the Philosophers stone, it didn't have an once to spare to allow him to fly with which meant that he would have to give up his place on the team. He could already see Oliver going bananas when he learned of this but there was nothing he could do. At least he would have more free time, well not really with all the studying he was going to end up doing.

Making his way off the train and out of the station Harry took his first real glimpse of Little Whinging in over a year. To make it even better, his eyes had healed thanks to the stone already so he could see crystal clearly, so he was truly seeing it for probably the first time in his entire life. Breathing in a deep breath he let it out slowly. Seeing as he had already sent his relative a letter, in the mundane mail of course, they already knew that he was going to be here today. He had informed them that he had been in an accident that had hospitalized him for a month after school and that he wasn't able to walk at least somewhat until now. He let them know of the wheelchair and the current crutches but that if he rested properly, he would be able to function regularly by the end of summer. How they took it he didn't know yet but he purposely left out that he had been at a local hotel until now, so it would seem like he was just released.

Slowly he made his way towards number 4 privet drive. Along the way, he could see a few pedestrians stopping to stare at him but none bothered to approach him. Say what you like about the town but people here tended to leave everyone to their own business. So, it had its good and bad points.

Knocking upon his relative's front door he waited patiently for someone to open it. He didn't have to wait for long when the door flew open and his aunt's voices filled the open space.

"Get inside before the neighbors see you!" Moving as quickly as he could Harry crutched past her and into the living room. Felling a bit tired and sore he gently sat down upon the couch. Hearing his aunt's feet shuffling about he looked up to find her staring down at him. He'd quirk an eyebrow at her but seeing as it would go unnoticed, he didn't bother. The house was silent for a moment before the woman sighed, to herself or him he wasn't sure.

"So…your uncle and I have talked and in light of this recent _accident_ we have decided that you will not be required to do your chores this summer. However, next summer you will have to without complaint. There have been a few changes since you left last summer but not many. As Dudley found out when he returned, he is required to mow the yard and clean his room. Vernon washes and waxes his car while both of them paint the house. I will be handling the cooking for this month and we will be trading off with each week you are here. Whoever isn't cooking is doing dishes but Dudley has that this month. You on the other hand will be sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming the house in the mornings after breakfast. Other than that, we don't want to see you, but that is only from next summer onward. This summer you are to spend your time resting in your room, out of our sight, or outside away from the house. Am I understood?"

Harry just sat there blinking as he tried to commit it all to memory. It was so different than what he was used to that he didn't know what to think. Actually, the one thought that formed in his mind was that Dudley must have thrown a monstrous temper tantrum when he was told this when he got home at the beginning of the summer.

Nodding his head, he gave a brief, "yes Ma'am" she sent him a stern look that she probably had to develop to get her son to do as he was told. Almost instantly his Aunt's stance relaxed before she sat down in one of the chairs across from him. She looked a little unsure of herself but spoke anyway.

"So…how are you feeling? Why are you still wearing those bandages if you were released from _your_ kind's hospital?" her eyes roamed over his bandaged form but he paid it no mind, it had been happening ever since he was released from St. Mungo's anyway.

"Well the item that exploded was resistant to our way of taking it out, so they had to use mundane ways and cut the shards from my body. On top of that, my body was covered in third degree burns from head to toe. At the moment, my body is covered in a cream of some sort that is healing the damage. I'll probably have some kind of markings from it but they said that they would be very light, if any at all. The bandages keep me from getting infected but I have to wear the until next June. They have to be replaced every few weeks but it could be worse, I guess."

His voice was soft but clear and as he spoke, he could see his aunt's eyes widen a fraction more with each other word. In the end, he swore her eyes were going to pop out which he really didn't want to see.

"Whole…burns…a year…healing…cutting!?" her words were stuttered but those were what he was able to understand. Smiling at her, he grabbed his Crutches and made his way out of the room to allow the woman to process what had exactly happened to him. She probably wouldn't question him about it again but he was pretty sure that once it sunk in, she would inform Vernon at least.

Clunking his way upstairs he entered his room and actually smiled. It wasn't a warm one but it was a smile at least. Unsurprisingly his relatives hadn't replaced the bed, wardrobe, or desk and nightstand but they had removed all of Dudley's junk that had been thrown about the room. There was however a somewhat new set of sheets, blankets, and pillows on the bed. They weren't the best but it was an improvement from what it used to be. Hopefully next year he could make a few changes.

Sighing in relief he sat down upon his bed and relaxed. Belief what you wished but this room was actually more relaxing than the room he had been staying in at the Cauldron. It also didn't sound like his Aunt was going to let Vernon Beat on him this summer, he just hoped it lasted until he could leave for good. Although, if his aunt stayed like this, he might… might just come back to visit. Now that was a scary thought for him to have.


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks later Harry found himself back at St. Mungo's hospital in a very familiar room. Looking around, he enjoyed the mid-morning sun as it shined through the glass and filled the room to the brink.

Sitting upon the bed calmly, he followed Healer Mcstiek as she unrolled the bandaging from his body. As she went from the top of his head downward he waited until she got to his shoulders. With each unwinding a little more of his skin came back into view. The first part that he was able to see he had to keep himself from flinching. It was a dark red, kind of like raw meat, and there were blisters everywhere. There must have been some kind of numbing agent in that cream that they used or he was pretty sure that he would be screaming in pain with every move he made.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself and continued to watch as she made her way down his arms. Like the rest of his skin it was dark red and his nails were pitched black, if they were even there and not the flesh underneath that he was seeing. Inside his mind there was an extremely strong desire to look away from his body but he _had_ to see what had happened to him during his time in the mirror chamber. Breathing in and out through his nose he kept himself focused. It was hard but he had to do it.

The farther down she went, the more squeamish he became. What he saw when she unwrapped the bandage from between his legs was a little more than scary. Where his privates had once been was dark red, completely flat with a small holed area. Gulping, he tried to keep the shudders going throughout his body from going into harsh sobs that he desperate wanted to release.

With tears in his eyes he looked at Healer Mcstiek and found that she was looking a little sad but she sent a comforting smile at him.

"What happened to my thing, Ma'am!?" his voice quivered majorly but he managed to get the words out. Healer Mcstiek sighed softly before looking him right in the eyes and that alone told him that she was going to be completely honest with him.

"The fire, for whatever reason, scorched your privates Harry. They were entirely unusable as they were, even for the bathroom. We had to remove your penis entirely and replace it with just an opening for you to urinate from. Once this year is over you will have to sit down to use the toilet, there was nothing else we could do without your consent. There were a few healers, myself included, that recommended turning your privates into the female ones and you won't be able to have kids if we do nothing. However, it was decided that we wouldn't go that far until your body was entirely recovered from the surface damage that the fire caused. We would also need your approval to do such a thing." She paused for a moment before continuing on, "I would highly recommend that you see a mind healer. They would be able to help you come to terms with this and if we complete the operation later on, with that as well."

Each sentence she spoke was like a light slap to the face. The first thing that he thought was that he was different no matter which way he looked at it. One way he's a boy without a penis or a girl that had used to be a boy. He didn't even want to think about if he ever dated anyone in the future and how they would take the situation. He almost started crying when she mentioned him never being able to have kids if he did nothing. Having never been all that close to his relatives as he grew up he had dreamed about one day having a big family to call his own. Now how would that happen?

Gulping he felt a few tears roll down his damaged skin, "Could I wait until I'm older? I don't think I should go along with any of that for a while." She nodded to him before continuing her unwrapping but he didn't put any thought into what he looked like at the moment, his mind was trapped in what had happened. Honestly, he should have guessed when his relatives started being kinder to him that something else would happen to him that would take that good part away. Cursing his luck, he zoned out from the world around him.

It was an hour later that his body was all clean of the old healing cream, a new batch was replaced, and he was bandaged once more. All the while he had been semi-mechanical in his movements until he snapped back to reality once his body was covered up again. Giving a whispered thank you to Ms. Mcstiek, he dressed himself in his street clothes before leaving the hospital.

Today was the day that he was supposed to meet up with Hermione and the Weasley's to go shopping for their school things for the year.

Pushing what he learned at the hospital to the back of his mind, he tried to get himself hyped up for the meet up with his best friends. Gripping onto his crutches he moved as quickly as he could in hopes of making it to the Cauldron on time, although from what he knew of the Weasley's they were always a little late.

Walking into the pub, the first thing he noticed was the horde of redheads all sitting around a group of tables in the middle of the room. They were all bickering among themselves about something and Mrs. Weasley looked a bit peeved and stressed. Shrugging it off, he made his way over toward his bushy haired friend, who was standing a good few feet away from the family.

Smiling to himself he stumbled to a stop right beside her. Hermione being Hermione, looked over at him and he could see the shock that covered her face before she covered her mouth to try and hide her reaction.

"Oh, my gosh, are you okay? Do you need any help?" he voice was filled with worry and kindness that just made him want to hug the bushy haired girl, but he honestly didn't know how to initiate one with these crutches.

Laughing a little at his friend, Harry shook his head, "No thank you Hermione, although I might need it later when we finish our shopping. I can't say I'm okay but I am much better than I was before"

She looked at him for a second in confusion as she mouthed the word shopping to herself before her eyes widened exponentially, it was almost like what his Aunt Petunia did a few weeks ago. Her voice came out in a whisper but he still heard it.

"Harry?" he nodded and could see her holding herself back from hugging him to death, which he was somewhat glad for. Tears started to fill her eyes and words started to come from her lips, "What happened to you? Dumbledore wouldn't tell us what happened or the stone and when we tried to visit you in the hospital they said you were not taking any visitors."

Frowning he wondered why they hadn't been able to visit him but figured it would be another question he could ask Healer Mcstiek when he sees her next summer. Looking his friend in the eyes he wondered just what he should say? The burns were obvious but what about his magic? Then again it would be fairly obvious when he went to cast a spell and nothing happened during class, that is if Dumbledore doesn't announce it at the start of the year.

Shaking his head, he answered her, "Professor Quirrell tried to steal the stone and while we were fighting, the stone exploded in my hand. Quirrell died just before that and the stone shards pierced almost everything in my body. Then the room was covered in fire before I could escape and ended up with really bad burns all over. The healers at the hospital were able to get about two-thirds of the stone out of me but the rest they couldn't, so now my body is absorbing them a little at a time." He paused to catch his breath and then went on, "Sadly, this is taking up all my magic and isn't estimating to finish until near the end of our fourth year. So, I can't do magic until then, not even to fly a broom. I'm basically a regular person until then." The silence grew around the pair to the point where you could cut it with a butter knife.

"oh Harry" her words were soft, almost distant, but the Weasley's must have heard it because in an instant they surrounded the pair.

"Harry What happened mate! You look like those mummies Bill goes on about."

"Wow Harry, trying…" "…out a new look?"

"EEPP!"

"Harry, my boy, what did you do? Take on a dragon!"

"HARRY! Did those nasty muggles make you work all summer without anything to block the sun! Muggles are such ridiculous people!"

Right up until the end the pair of muggle-raised preteens had actually found most of their ideas funny, although Ginny's was a little bizarre to him, but Mrs. Weasley's was downright offensive to the pair. Mostly because both of their families were regular people and actually had common sense, although Harry's was a recent development, unlike many magicals.

Frowning at the woman in question Harry cleared his throat to get their attention. Almost as one they stopped talking and turned their attention fully on him, it was rather creepy actually.

"No I didn't take on a dragon, I'm not trying for a new look, and my relatives didn't do anything to me Mrs. Weasley! I got stuck in a room at Hogwarts last year that was lite on fire for some reason which I barely escaped." He sent a look to his friends to tell them to shut up about the stone, "I escaped with third degree burns all over my body and have to be wrapped up like this for a year as the healing cream does its job and heals the damage. I didn't get released until the start of August but my relatives have been really understanding about my plight. I've mostly been resting or reading."

The Weasley matriarch looked like she swallowed a rather bitter lemon but didn't say anything, neither to excuse her words or apologize. The rest looked upset that he had been hurt while Ron actually looked like he was crazy.

"Reading! Blimey mate, if you keep doing that then you'll end up like Hermione!" Said girl glared at the boy while Harry merely frowned rather heavily.

"It's all I could do Ron. I still get tired rather easily on these things and the burns make me rather sensitive to touch so I had to be careful that I didn't fall while I'm outside. Besides I live in the normal world, so I can't go flying or anything during the summer." Not like he could anyway but that's beside the point.

Ron was still frowning a little but gave up after a minute or two with a mighty huff. "Can we go shopping now? I really want to go look at the new nimbus broom!"

"In just a minute Ron." His mom spoke up before she turned toward Harry and he knew that she was going to ask for something that he wouldn't give, "Harry dear, seeing as I have to go to the bank to get money for school things, if you give me your key, I can get some for you as well?"

Harry looked at her and shook her head, "Sorry Ma'am but I have to get out more than normal to pay for some things my healer wants me to get." Frustration formed in her eyes but he pressed on, "Besides it will be quicker if we separate during the trip to our vaults. I'm sure your family will need your help getting the right things." She swelled up at that before nodding to him in acceptance, although the glimmer of greed was still in her eyes.

"Very well dear, let's get on our way everyone."

In a mob the group moved towards the alley, none of them seemed to notice that they were leaving Harry and Hermione behind seeing as he couldn't move quite as fast. Hermione was looking at him with an inquisitive eye but he simply smiled at her.

Making sure to speak softly so no one around could hear her, Hermione whispered in his ear, "Why didn't you let Mrs. Weasley take your key to get your money? She was just trying to help."

He shook his head a little, "No she wasn't. She was trying to get money from my vault for either her own wants or pay for her kid's school things. I wouldn't have minded if she asked if she could borrow some for that but stealing from me is completely different." He stopped speaking because Hermione had to pull him out of the way of a rather plump man in a green bowler hat that nearly bowled him over, "thanks. Anyway, I hired an account manager over the summer to look over my account and beside myself there were quite a few people taking money from my account that weren't allowed by my family. I doubt I'll ever get the money back but my manager is making sure that no one but me is allowed to take any more. Really all I just did was save her from getting hurt by the Goblins."

"Oh" her eyes were wide and he could tell she was trying to figure out just why the large loud woman would do such a thing to an orphan of all people. Neither preteen said another word until they reached the bank. Harry made a quick hobble towards the counter to get some money from his vault without actually going down while Hermione had her normal money converted to magical.

With money purses tied to their belt loops, they made their way out of the bank and started their shopping. Seeing as Clothes shopping and books would take the longest for the pair they headed off toward the apothecary to get their potion supplies. Since it was going to be one of the subjects that Harry really needed to actually focus in Harry made double sure that he was getting good ingredients, Hermione just followed his example.

Making their way across the walkway Harry found himself being pulled into a stationary shop. Hobbling along the shelves he found himself looking at the beginner's calligraphy booklets and kits. Cursing to himself he wished that Hagrid had let him take an actual look around last year, maybe his notes would have been eligible then. Grabbing one of each, as well as the intermediate one, he moved about grabbing bottles of ink and dozens of quills for future use. Heading up toward the counter he placed it all down for the store keep to ring up. The man looked him over more than a little but Harry stubbornly ignored him as he waited for his total.

"That will be 1 galleon and 13 sickles." Digging through his coin purse he fetches the said amount before quickly stuffing it all in the first compartment of the new trunk he got back in July, call it a birthday present if you want. Hermione's was about a quarter of his total but then again, he got those calligraphy kits as well so it was understandable.

They made a short stop at the Pet shop to get some treats for Hedwig, who had been staying with Hagrid at Hogwarts all summer. He knew he would have to make up for getting hurt and making her stay there without him.

Clothing was up next and to be honest Harry didn't know what he should get. The words of Healer Mcstiek from earlier that morning echoed through his head and wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried.

" _There were a few healers, myself included, that recommended turning your privates into the female ones because you won't be able to have kids if we don't. However, it was decided that we wouldn't go that far until your body was entirely recovered from the surface damage that the fire caused."_

He knew that if he wanted a family in the future he would have to go through the process to do that but would he be able to live with being a girl? He wasn't sure to be honest but that also doesn't answer the question that he had at the moment. Seeing as he no longer had the equipment could he be classified as male anymore? So, should he get girls clothes instead, even though he didn't have their equipment yet? It was probably a matter of choice but he didn't know what to choose, all he had ever known was Dudley's cast-offs and that his body was male.

Shaking his head in despair, he gave up for the moment and decided just to go with what he knew for the time being. If he had been paying a little more attention, he would have noticed Hermione spotting his hesitation, although she thought it was over his discomfort over the bandages wrapped around his body and not the clothing they were getting.

Both were shocked out of their thoughts when Madam Malkins came up to them, "Off to Hogwarts dears?" they nodded and the woman went on, "Girls?" Hermione nodded while Harry shook his head. "Okay one Boy and one girl? Do you mind sharing a room? All the others are in use at the moment, I swear those Weasley's are like a swarm of locusts!"

Both preteens blushed heavily, although only Hermione's was noticeable. The pair looked at each other uncertain in what to say. Thankfully Hermione summoned up her courage first.

"I don't mind Harry, just don't peak okay?" her voice was a little strained but she managed to get the words out.

"Sure thing, Mione. I'd say the same but I don't think you would be able to see anything anymore anyway." Hermione giggled a little and nodded her head, if only she knew that he was hinting that he didn't have anything anymore.

Quickly the pair followed the seamstress into one of the backrooms. In no time at all the pair were stripped down to their underwear, although Harry could see Hermione was as red as a tomato and trying very hard not to cover her lightly budding breasts from his prying eyes. He had to admit that the cat themes panties were cute though, not that he'd dare say that out loud. She'd probably beat him to death with a book… no something else because his blood would stain the book.

Madam Malkin chuckled to herself when she noticed what Hermione was trying to do and the fact that the bandaged boy was obvious trying to not look in case of making his friend even more embarrassed. Smiling to herself she remembered when she was in this exact situation with her husband all those years ago, although he wasn't bandaged from head to toe like this boy. It was amusing to watch from the outside point of view.

"Okay dears, I'm going to start with your torso and work my way down." She pointed over to Hermione, "And you miss are going to have to be measured for a bra, not a big one or anything but still a measuring." If anything, they got even more red at the woman's words.

As soon as the woman started measuring his best friend, Harry could see the girl start to squirm when the seamstress started to press the tape against her chest or when she lifted them up a little to see how much of a bounce they had. Once She got those measurements done she left the room with just the preteens inside.

An uncomfortable feeling filled the air and Harry really didn't know what he should say. No matter what they did, this situation was Awkward with a capital A. He was pretty sure that Hermione was seriously wishing she could erase this moment from at least his mind if not her own as well.

To his utter amazement, she turned toward him, face complete red, and the small lumps on her chest on show and swishing a bit from her sudden movement. She set a firm glare at him and pointing a single finger at him.

"Not a single word about this to anyone. Am I understood!?" gulping he nodded his head in a blur and she smiled at him before some of the red tint to her cheeks, throat, and chest dimmed down a little bit. "Good, and because you saw me you're paying for half of my clothes." Knowing better than to deny it he nodded in acceptance, although it's not like what she was would excite him anymore, if it ever did. Heck for all he knew he might have them a few years down the line.

Both of them jumped back into their places when Madam Malkins came flying in through the door with a bunch of what he guessed were training bra's or the smallest sized holders that they had. For the next ten minutes Madam Malkins gave Hermione demonstrations on how exactly you put on such a device, as well as had her practice a few times before having her leave it on before she continued the fitting.

After that they moved onto Hermione's blouse and his dress shirt. Funnily enough Madam Malkins ended up deciding to have his dress shirt made of the same light material that was used for a girl's blouse because she didn't want him to overheat with all his bandages. Given how much clothing they had to wear at the school he was more than thankful for her idea, although he swore Hermione was giggling over on her stool for some reason.

The skirts and trousers were much easier, although it was still weird that the seamstress had to get so close to their private areas to get an accurate measurement. She even had them try and spread their legs as far as they comfortable could and took measurements then too. It was so weird and totally different than the last time he had done a measuring from the woman. Amazingly his bandages never gapped anywhere nor sagged once he stood back up. Although Hermione had to come behind him as he did it to hold him so they could get an accurate measurement, which lead to a blushing bushy haired girl because she had to press up against him.

Funny enough their shoes were both size 4 and if they truly wanted to, they could trade shoes, seeing as the magical world had very little difference in shoe size between males and females. Harry even joked that he wouldn't need her long socks because his legs were already wrapped up in white. Although she got back at him that by saying that if he did that then he would need to borrow her skirt as well. They both snickered at the thought of a bandaged Harry in a skirt, not like it would truly matter since his clothing for the year were just for everyone else's comfort and his habits. Thankfully Madam Malkins quickly shot that idea down by saying that her measurements wouldn't fit right on him, although neither knew that the cunning seamstress could easily make him one with the measurements she had taken.

Madam Malkins was more than happy that she was friends with Healer Mcstiek and had been informed of the young bandage Harry Potter predicament. OF course, she felt more than a little sad that such a thing had happened to such a young lad, but there was nothing she could do about it. As soon as she saw him and his bushy haired friend in her shop she had quickly suggested the idea of the shared fitting room because she was more than sure of the choice that the young Potter was going to end up taking in the future. This way both he and his friend were at least a little more comfortable with each other and less awkward about it in the future. If the pair came in next year she was going to have either herself or her apprentice take the pair just to further that intimate friendship a little more.

"Alright dears, I'll have your orders sent to you once they are ready. That should be by the end of the week." The preteens nodded to their seamstress before getting dressed once more in the street clothes, although Hermione was allowed to keep her new bra on, much to her embarrassment.

With a quick stop at the front counter Harry ended up paying for seven complete sets of uniform for him, as well as a pair of green dragonhide gloves for potions, while Hermione got him to pay for three of her uniforms and four of the seven bras while she paid for the rest. He was feeling much less money inside his expanded coin purse, even though it was weightless, but he wouldn't have denied it anyway. After all he did get a never thought possible 'showing' of sorts of his best friend, although it didn't even register in his mind that he got a peak at something that any other boy his age and up would have loved to be able to see.

Once they were out of Madam Malkins Robes for all Occasions Harry actually laughed a little. Hermione just looked at him like he was crazy before falling victim as well and soon the pair were left in a giggling mess.

Taking a firm grip of his crutches Harry straightened himself before taking a few slow easy breaths. Smiling at his bushy haired friend, who smiled right back but with rosy quality to her cheeks, he nodded toward one of the smaller book shops.

Hermione on the other hand looked in confusion, "Why don't we go the main store? All the books we need are there."

"Well I heard that Gildaroy Lockhart is supposed to be there and he most likely has someone from the Daily Prophet with him. I'd rather not end up in the paper, especially like this." His voice was steady but he knew his desperation to escape that ordeal must have bleed in when her eyes took on an understanding appearance.

"Okay Harry." Her smile brightened a little more, "I bet they have all sorts of books in there, just like the other one."

Going inside the shop Harry had to pause at what he was seeing. While the Main book store in Diagon Alley was rather huge on the inside, this one was positively massive. It was actually more similar to a library with the sizing. To make it even better there wasn't piles of books cluttering the floor but instead resting peacefully upon the shelves throughout the store. It was even organized by section with the cheaper books down near the bottom and the more expensive ones at the top.

"Wow!" That was all he heard before Hermione was gone in a blink of an eye. Actually, he was sure that she either teleported away or moved so fast that she left an afterimage that faded soon after she was gone. He would have to tease her for that later, maybe next year when he could properly move.

Hobbling over he grabbed a basket that were placed at the front of the store. However, as soon as he placed his hand on it the basket lifted off the table and floated behind him like an invisible person was holding it for him. Smiling he gripped his crutches a little more before working his way through the store.

Seeing as he wouldn't be able to practice the practical parts of his transfiguration, charms, and DADA classes Harry decided to at least get textbooks and a few books on rudimentary knowledge. The other core classes he did the same things. He also looked into the few electives that he had heard of during his first year that third years got to take. Thankfully he was able to pick up a beginner's guide to the Runes course but he also snagged dictionaries on other types of runes besides the Norse, Anglo-Saxon, and Celtic. There were also some books to help him with finances, languages, and etiquette. Seeing as in a few years he had a major choice to make he picked up the books for both boys and girls.

Not knowing what else to get Harry figured he had gotten enough for this year, besides he had two more years of this type of study to go through so it was a start if anything. Making his way toward the front he had his books rung up before swiftly placing them inside his trunk. Seeing as he was all finished he'd better make sure Hermione didn't die under a mountain of books. Chuckling to himself he made his way throughout the store.

In no time at all he found his friend trapped in the spell creation section trying to decide on which books to get. Peaking over her shoulder he took note that she fighting over three different authors theories on spell crafting. Snickering loud enough to be heard Hermione jumped a few feet into the air and away from him. Once she landed she pouted at him, which did nothing to stop his laughter.

"Harry! That wasn't nice at all!" shaking his head he pointed to the books clutched to her budding bosom. She seemed to notice what he was laughing about and thankfully elaborated on it, "Oh I read the first chapter in each of them and they all have good theories on the creation of spells but I'm just not sure which one to get!"

Quirking an invisible eyebrow at his friend he spoke in the most deadpanned voice he could, "Mione, you realize Spell creation isn't even a class until sixth year, right? That means three years of Arithmancy first and then it. Why are you even reading into a subject before taking its prerequisite?"

Her face reddened a little and he knew instantly that she had gotten lost in her love of learning. It wasn't a bad thing but sometimes she got a little ahead of herself and forgets to study the basics before jumping into the advanced stuff. Then again, the girl was like scary smart, it wouldn't surprise him if she was already in her third year in the theoretical portion of class already.

Moving forward he took the three books from her and placed it in his basket, which he hadn't taken back to the front just yet in case he found something interesting while he was looking for his bushy haired friend.

"Don't worry about it Mione, call it a gift. Come on, let's get your books all rung up and head off to find the Weasley's. I'm pretty sure they are wondering where we have run off to by now."

"Awwww!" Hermione pouted for a little bit before sighing and following him up toward the counter with her basket as well. Once they were all rung up, and his three books purchased as well, he handed them off to the girl. On their way out, he was amazed that not once did she run off to check out even more books like he usually had to keep an eye on when they were in the school's library. Maybe it's a shopping thing?

As soon as they exited the shop Harry took note that it was much later than he thought it was with the sun farther down in the sky than expected. Cursing to himself for starting so late, he hobbled toward the Leaky Cauldron with a worrying Hermione right behind him. The moment they entered into the pub Hermione's parents were right in front of them and squishing His friend into a tight hug.

"God Hermione, we were so worried when the Weasley's said you had wondered off with Harry. Are you okay? Did anybody try to hurt you? Did Harry try anything with you?" Mr. Grangers words flowed from his mouth before he could even take notice of just who was right there.

"Daddy! Harry would never do that to me, he's my best friend! We were just shopping and that's it." Wisely she decided to not mention the shared fitting room. That was a bag of worms she did not want to open. "Besides I don't think Harry would be able to even chase me down at the moment if I ran, let alone do something like _that!"_

Deciding to put his two pennies in Harry voiced his own thoughts, "Besides Mr. Granger, I can't even do something like that, not after my accident." He wasn't exactly sure they were talking about what he thought they might be talking about but he took a quick shot in the dark and prayed he was right or he would be super embarrassed.

His words seemed to fly right over his embarrassed best friend but both of her parents eyed him. He could see the sorrow in Mrs. Grangers eyes while understanding and pity filled up her husbands. Normally he wouldn't want pity from anyone but Hermione's father was different. In this case, any male would feel pity for another if something happened to their equipment in an accident, so Harry didn't let it get to him like usual.

Mrs. Granger knelt down to his level, which was amazingly short thanks to his height, and ever so gently placing her hands on his shoulders. She smiled at him with care and understanding that he knew he would probably never get from his relatives if they knew.

"I'm sorry to hear that you were so hurt in the accident last year. We never meant to suggest that you had done something, it's just that Hermione is all that we have and we don't want to see her getting hurt. Thank you for taking care of her for us Harry. If there is anything you need just ask, okay?" Not trusting his mouth, he nodded to his friend's mother. Her father nodded to him in return to show what she said went for him as well. Hermione on the other hand had no idea what was going on but decided not to interrupt in case she fudged things up like her daddy.

Getting his emotions back under control Harry took a quick look around to try and find the Weasley's but ended up coming up blank. Where had they gone?

"Um… do you know where the Weasley's went? We were supposed to meet them here once he finished shopping?"

The parents looked at each other before Hermione's mum started talking, "Well they came by a few hours ago. Mrs. Weasley looked rather upset about something and mentioned having to head home to deal with a family issue. The kids looked confused about it all but followed behind her. None came back ever since."

Realization came upon Harry almost instantly. Molly Weasley was pissed that she couldn't get any more money out of his account for whatever she was taking it for. Guess he'd either find out when school starts or if Dumbledore came knocking. Either way he wasn't sure how to answer but would have to wait upon to see what happened as an outcome. Sighing to himself he knew that this shopping trip with them was a bad idea when he agreed to it, didn't help when they didn't wait for the pair before immediately started shopping. Actually, it did make him wonder what they were doing in Madam Malkins when they usually had the hand-me-down system for the boys. He was pretty sure the only one that would get moderate knew clothing would be Ginny and that's because she was the only girl.

Hermione looked at him, silently asking if he was going to tell about them stealing from him, but he shook his head. There was no reason to create a fuss. If the Weasley's wanted to then that's their problem, not theirs.

Anyway, after a quick round of hugs goodbye the Grangers left him outside the Leaky Cauldron and Harry himself stopped a taxi to take him home. Probably cost more but he really didn't feel like going through all the effort to get to the train station again.


	3. Chapter 3

Staring in the Gryffindor boy's communal bathroom mirror, Harry couldn't help but glare at what he was seeing. He had only been at the school for two weeks and he was already hating it to the extreme.

First it was the whispering comments about his bandages, which he had thought he had gotten used to people always pointing out, but then it went from iffy to torture once the teachers realized he couldn't cast magic in class. This lead to him being shoved to the back of the class and totally ignored, even during the times when they asked questions that he knew that answer too. It was completely messed up that magicals seemed to think that because he currently couldn't cast a bloody spell meant that he was not a true wizard who should be allowed in school. Thankfully Hermione stayed by his side but he was starting to wonder if she would crack eventually, he hoped not. Heck, even Neville wouldn't talk to him!

Anyway, at the moment he found himself staring at his still dark red and lightly blistered skin. For better or for worse, Madam Pomphrey had spent the better part of four hours on his first changing day once school started to teach him how to properly bandage his body. He could feel his face twitching as irritation raced throughout his entire being. It only increased as his eyes wondered over his damaged body and nearly went apocalyptic when he saw the flat area between his legs. If his magic had been able to extend beyond his body, the room would have been broken into chunks and the stone beneath his feet turned to a fine dust. Thanks to that one thing, he was constantly questioning himself and never sure about just _what_ or _who_ he was now or will be in the future. It was confusing, crushing, and annoying all wrapped up in tight little ball. In the back of his mind he hoped that once his skin healed he would start growing his hair once more.

Thankfully even though he was teased and ridiculed for his bandages and temporary lack of magic, the school hadn't been informed about his current lack of sex defining equipment. He'd say gender defining but he knew that the parts don't make the person but their identity. It was more than confusing and to be honest he was glad that he wasn't going to have to make the choice until his body healed and by his own decision with his magic returned.

Taking in a slow deep breath, he slowly started lathering his dark red body in creams Healer Mcstiek had made sure to send him every few weeks. For whatever reason, she believed that neither the school nurse nor potion master would be willing to make them for him and what do you know? She was right!

Being careful to not get any of the cream in his eyes, nose, mouth, or bathroom hole (He really didn't know what to call it) he slowly covered his body in the light green substance. One thing he did notice was that the scars that showed through the darkness of his skin were slowly starting to vanish. Some were from before his first year, thanks uncle Vernon, while some of the ragged and deep ones were because of the healers when they crudely extracted pieces of the Philosophers stone from his body. Made him wish they would have just left them there for him to absorb entirely.

Sighing to himself, he felt the pain ebb away as the cream started to soak into his skin ever so slightly. Making slow and careful movement he began wrapping up his feet and lower legs. Unlike before he now knew that it wasn't just one massive set of wrappings but multiple little ones. One for each limb, one for the head, two for the torso, and one for the pelvic area. It sucked big time but at least with the magical variety he was able to bend with it on like it wasn't, so it wasn't as hard to get it on by himself. If it had been the muggle kind, he was more than sure that he would have been screwed in more ways than one. There would be much more info for mocking and he doubted anyone but Hermione would even be willing to help him and that was if she could get past the look of his body.

Once again, his body was covered in pure white wrapping with only gaps for his bright emerald eyes and mouth. Quickly getting dressed in his school uniform he strolled out of the bathroom. Making one quick stop in his dorm room, he repressed a snort at the sight of his roommates still sound asleep in their beds. Then again, he had started getting up early to avoid them as much as possible since the first night of school. Grabbing his bag, which he made sure contained all his books, as they had been going missing every time he left his bag out for any extended amount of time.

Draping it over his shoulder, he walked out on silent feet down into the common room. The second it came into sight a small smile formed upon his lips. There in the chair by the fire was his best, and apparently only, friend. Like usually she was face first deep into a book of some sort with her bushy haired tied back in a ponytail in hopes of keeping it from getting in her way.

Strolling over to her he poked her gently on the shoulder to get her attention. Her eyes instantly snapped to him and he could see the stress melt off her like the ice under the sun on a warm day.

"Hello Harry. Did you manage to get your bandages on alright?" her eyes hardened as her mind rumbled with anger at the school healer refusing to help him simply because his magic wasn't working properly at the moment. More than once in the last few weeks, Harry had borne witness to her going off on a mother of all rants that Healers swore oaths to never turn down a patient or person in need of treatment. And while its incensed Harry, it completely enraged the bushy haired girl.

"Yes, although I can't wait until I no longer have to see my damaged body in the mirror to do it." He could feel his teeth grinding against one another but swiftly pushed his frustrations down into the back of his mind to be dealt with later…much later.

Tears came to Hermione rather suddenly and he found himself wrapped inside the larger girl's arms. He had gotten so used to her hugs in the last two weeks that he didn't even stiffen on contact anymore. Although, she was careful not grab onto any parts that were more sensitive to touch which he was eternally thankful for. The pair just stood there in silence as they hug, one to comfort and the other trying to receive it.

When they finally broke apart, she easily grabbed his hand and started pulling him out of the common room and through the portrait hole. There were a few light grumbles from the Fat Lady about them getting up so early but they were largely ignored by the pair.

Once they made it to the great hall in hopes to eat some breakfast in relative peace they relaxed just a bit more. Shuffling down the middle of the hall Harry took note of everyone that was already in the hall. Off at the Ravenclaw there was a small blonde girl with a pair of radish earrings that he remembered from the sorting ceremony. The Slytherin table had an Italian boy that he recognized from potions class but wasn't sure what his name was. At Hufflepuff there was a seventh-year girl with bright pink hair that he swore was shifting in shade every other second. They were the only Gryffindors that had arrived so far and personally, Harry hoped that they would be done and gone when the rest start shuffling in.

Turning his eyes upon the teachers table, he found a few teachers looking at him. Dumbledore was looking at him with disappointment shinning in his eyes but a small smile upon his lips. Snape, as always was sneering at him but he could see that the hatred in his eyes wasn't pointed at himself for once. McGonagall had disdain radiating from her dark eyes, if he hadn't grown up with someone that could give him a stronger one then he most likely would have flinched.

To Harry, he was starting to hate the woman the most. She spoke of family but rejected those that didn't fit into her tiny little idea of such a thing. It didn't happen often but every once in a while, he would notice the woman ignoring his best friend in class, even though they both knew she knew the answer. It turned his stomach to think that he looked up to the woman just a month ago. Forcing his eyes further down the table he could see sadness and guilt almost rolling of the charms teachers body, along with Hagrid's as well. If anything, this told the bandaged boy that someone, probably Dumbledore, was forcing them to ignore him.

Taking a deep breath to try and control his anger Harry sat down about halfway up the table and started to eat. Some mashers, fried eggs, and toast with a big glass of milk. He made sure to eat carefully as to not get his bandages dirty, seeing as he would never notice unless Hermione told him. IT didn't take all that long until he was finished and Hermione was done soon after.

Getting up the pair started heading out of the great hall but just as they were about to exit a stern voice echoed across the room.

"Just a moment, Potter. You've been reassigned a new schedule due to your new _situation_." He could practically feel the disgust rolling off his head of house's tongue.

Turning towards the woman he accepted the piece of parchment without a single word. Glancing down at the page he felt his rage spike once more.

 _ **Name: Harry James Potter**_

 _ **Year: Second**_

 _ **Ranking: Squib (bottom class)**_

 _ **Monday morning: Potions, Herbology, assisting Mr. Filch**_

 _ **Monday afternoon: Assisting Mr. Filch, assisting Mr. Filch, Astronomy**_

 _ **Tuesday morning: Care for magical creatures, Assisting Mr. Filch, Potions**_

 _ **Tuesday afternoon: Language arts-Latin, Ancient Runes, assisting Mr. filch**_

 _ **Wednesday morning: Arithmancy, Herbology, Etiquette**_

 _ **Wednesday afternoon: Etiquette, Assisting Mr. Filch, History of magic**_

 _ **Thursday morning: Ancient Runes, Language arts-Latin, Potions**_

 _ **Thursday Afternoon: Care for Magic creatures, History of magic, Astronomy**_

 _ **Friday morning: Crafting, Herbology, Arithmancy**_

 _ **Friday afternoon: Assisting Mr. Filch, etiquette, survival class**_

Looking up from the paper, he glared at the woman before him. His mouth formed a vicious snarl at the woman and his eyes flashed with hatred. Handing the paper to his friend, who gasped softly at what it said, just to make sure he didn't crinkle it in his rage.

"Professor I think you are massively misunderstanding the situation. You have me working with Filch more than half the week, free of payment might I add, when I should be either studying or in class of some sort." His voice came out soft but cold as ice.

McGonagall raised her nose to him like he was beneath her, making him strain hard to hold back from doing something she would regret. "It is you that is mistaken Potter. This is a school for Witches and _Wizards_. You may have started out as a Wizard but you are no longer, in fact you're lucky that you haven't been kicked from the school already."

Feeling his face and fingers start to twitch Harry let go of the hold on his rage as the woman's words rung through his mind. Visions of rendering her flesh from her bones filled his mind and drowning her in toilet, both possible but not for some time.

"You seem to forget that the only reason my magic isn't working at the moment it because of the _Headmasters_ little scheme last year. I am no squib and we all know it but thanks to that plot of his, my magic is focused on making sure that I _live_ from the injection of shards of the Philosopher stone instead of die of mineral poisoning like most people would!" His words bounced off the walls so all that were there could hear his words, which unfortunately were a very few individuals. "So, you can shove that Schedule up your worthless arse and forget about me working with Filch!"

Spinning on the balls of his feet he stormed out of the Great hall with rage practically radiating from his body. If he had been looking he would have seen Hermione run after him, or the question glances the three students that were eating in the hall were sharing. And if he really cared he would have seen the furious look practically fused onto McGonagall's face. Off in the corner of the room Filch was smirk rather nastily at the Witch in question and was easily joined by Severus Snape.

Meanwhile, in a room deep in the first level of the Hogwarts dungeon, Harry was sunk low onto the far floor with his feet dragged up toward his chest and his face buried into his knees. Tears and sobs were escaping him at random but the shiver throughout his body was ever present. Hermione was sitting there just as still as he but with her arm flung over his shoulder as she tried to show her care for him with a loving hug.

"Why Hermione? Why am I being punished because of their failure? It's just not fair!" his voice cracked a little bit and his throat was feeling raw.

"I don't know, Harry, but I don't think there is anything we can really do about it either. I know you don't want to hear this but I think you should just try and do the schedule they gave you. If anything, Mr. Filch has to have lots of knowledge after being here for so long."

Clenching his fists tight Harry hated to admit that she was right. His situation was bad enough as it is, he really didn't need to make it any worse. But he wasn't going to like it that was for sure. Sighing softly Harry sat up and let his head rest against the stone wall behind him. Even though none would be able to tell that he had been crying, he still didn't want them to know, he had long since learned to not let people see or hear him cry from his early childhood.

Forcing himself up onto his feet, he offered a hand to Hermione, which she gladly took, and hoisted the taller girl up with him.

"I guess we should get going then. I'll see you in Herbology, okay?"

They shared small sad smiles for minute before walking out of the unused classroom arm in arm. Neither one said a word as they made their way toward the great hall once more. Stopping for a brief moment they shared a hug before splitting away to go to their classes.

Pulling out his new schedule Harry frowned at it. Seeing as it was Wednesday that meant that he actually had a busy school day. Starting off with Arithmancy and ending with History of Magic, yeah, he was going to just love today!

Keeping his face as expressionless as possible, he marched his way toward his new class. Thankfully, he had decided to get those books on the basics of the class or he would have been in more than a little trouble. Sure, school had just started but he had heard that Arithmancy and Ancient Runes tended to go rather fast paced because of its small classes.

Upon entering the room, Harry had to let out a small sigh of relief. So far no one was there yet, probably down in the great hall having breakfast. Making his way towards the far-right corner, Harry took the opportunity of being alone to find a seat that was out of the way from the others. This was something he had decided on continuing even in his none core classes. He found that being out-of-sight helped in keeping unwanted negative attention from himself. It sucked because it was demolishing his already small social circle but he really didn't have much of a choice unless he wanted to get cursed with his back turned.

Time seemed to pass at a smooth pace and Harry soon found the room starting to fill up around him. Thankfully none of them took notice to his bandaged appearance in the corner and struck up conversations with their other classmates. Upon realizing that they weren't going to be talking about anything involving class Harry tuned them out until the Professor arrived.

It didn't take all that long to be honest and Harry nearly was left gapping at what he was seeing, although looking around he could see some of the others around him were reacting the same way. Professor Vector was something that one would most definitely wouldn't expect. He was rather tall in height, around 6 feet 2 inches, with short spiky black hair and a well-defined but strongly masculine face. He looked to be well built with muscles on his arms and when he introduced himself his voice was a harsh baritone. What threw Harry for a massive loop, and still stunned some of the other students, was that the man was wearing what would look like a biker's outfit in the Non-magical world. The kids raised by magicals though couldn't help but wonder why this wizard was wearing so much leather, although a few of the girls were horrified that their teacher looked like such a violent man.

Class went by quickly as Professor Vector explained a few different approaches to figuring out basic spells with the help of Arithmancy. It was rather confusing to him but then again, he was probably missing some key pieces of the process from lacking the actually textbook and only having the beginner books.

When class finally ended, Harry found himself walking away from the class with a glazed look in his eyes and rather mechanical jerks of his body. If he could have seen himself, he was more than pretty sure that people would think he was a real-life mummy come back to life.

It wasn't until someone grabbed him by his arm that he even realized he was outside the castle. Blinking he let his eyes follow the hand that was holding onto him until he came face to face with his bushy haired friend.

"Oh…Hello Hermione. How was DADA with Lockhart?" she released his arm from her rather tight grip but it soon found itself folded across its owner's chest. He knew he was in trouble when he spotted the frown upon her lips.

"Don't 'Hello Hermione', me! What was it like? Arithmancy? I bet you learned all about it already!" inside his head Harry sort of smiled at the desire for learning that flashed through his friend's eyes like usual.

"It was…different to say the least. You'll definitely find it hard to understand until you take the class." Seeing she was about to deny his claims he continued on, "Just trust me Mione. It's rather mind boggling."

Deciding to drop the subject, which he was thankful for, the pair of preteens happily chatted as they made their way to Herbology. It wasn't about anything to specific, just what they thought they would be learning through out the rest of the year.

For Harry, as he thought back on his new schedule, it still amazed him that Hogwarts had more electives than they were led to believe. It had taken a bit of courage to talk to the school's librarian but with a touch of misguided curiosity, he was able to learn about subjects taught within the castle. All under the guise of just wanting to plan out his future education, of course. Although, with his now magicless status, it became a tad more immediate than he expected.

Like many knew of, there was Transfiguration, DADA, Charms, History of Magic, Potions, Astronomy, and Herbology as the main classes. However, there was also flying class and Magical theory for first years. Once they moved beyond that year, students weren't given any more options until 3rd year.

It was this year that brought an influx of new classes for students to partake in. Such as: Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Divinations, Care for Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies. All of them useful in some fashion but once chosen, they were compulsorily until the student reached the end of their Fifth year and took their O.W. Ls or as Harry liked to call them, their General Studies Exams. Really all it meant was that once finished with those exams, the student can drop a class if they wish and pick up a new class or just use it as a study hall.

After that, the last two years were geared towards more advanced forms of the topics. From what Madam Prince told him, some classes even went on sabbatical leave to study in different areas of the world in the subject. This way they have some practical experience in the subject.

Alchemy was even offered if enough students were interested in the subject but that class hadn't been in rotation for around 100 years now. Apparently, the headmaster was one of the last few to be able to take it before the student body just lost interest in it.

Beyond these main classes, there was the Extra-curricular classes.

Harry already had a few of them forced upon him, which usually don't become available until fourth year, such as: Survival, Latin, Etiquette, and a small crafting class. Two out of three he could guess but the others he had no clue. Not counting theses classes; there was also Frog Choir, Ghoul Studies, Magical and mundane art classes, Magical and mundane music with the option of Orchestra, and finally Apparition lessons.

Out of all the other Extras, the only ones he really felt an interest to was Ghoul Studies and Apparition lessons, maybe a regular music class to learn to play an instrument. Although, he really didn't like the implications of _Ghoul_ Studies. From what he had learned, the class was really the study of defending one's self from Poltergeists, Vampires, and Veela. Mostly, it focuses on resisting the natural magics of these species due to the effect it has on a human's mind.

None of his peers had realized it yet but Hogwarts did have a set schedule that they liked to keep.

Every day the Great Hall would open from 6am until 8:30am, thus giving students and teachers alike a solid half hour to get ready and go to class. Then there were three classes in the morning and three in the afternoon, all an hour each with a 45-minute break in the middle for lunch. Once this is done, students had from 4pm until 7pm to attend any Extra classes that they desire or an Elective class once they reach the correct year. Some classes were during the regular school day which forced the older years to take some of their core classes later in the day or on entirely different day if needed.

For Harry, this would be a little different since he was taking many of his classes either a year or three early. This also meant that he'd be a year or two ahead of his year mates in these courses, so he'd have to take his Generals earlier than them, at least for the classes that don't use active magic.

It was all rather frustrating when he thought about it to deeply, forcing a headache in the back of his mind. His expression must have showed it, because Hermione started looking at him weird.

"I'm okay, just thought about too much way too quickly."

At the giggle she tried her best to smother, Harry let his own smile form.

Today was starting to look up for him.

Walking out of the boy's lavatory, Harry mentally grumbled over his lack of external magic. With it, he could have used one of the basic cleaning charms that both Professors Flitwick and Sprout had taught him just last year to keep their dorm rooms clean and clean themselves up after working in the greenhouses, respectively.

Now he had to carry an extra set of clothes around with him just in case someone decides to prank him or for when he got covered in dirt during Herbology, like he had.

Knowing it wouldn't do him any good, he pushed those thoughts away before pulling out a small stack of notes that Hermione had given him from her Defense class. It didn't really take him all that long to scan her neat scrawl and even less to find himself chuckling to himself.

Believe it or not, in the beginning of the year Hermione had something of a massive crush on the dramatic Defense professor. That, however, was quickly erased after seeing how the man had tried casting a spell on him when he was injured.

 _Today had, by far, been the worse day in Harry's young life. Worse than even his recovery during the summer or every time he saw his raw red flesh._

 _It had started off with a simple walk down to the great hall for breakfast with his friends but had quickly took a turn for the worst._

 _He had just sat down and began loading up his plate when he started hearing something that he had been dreading. A long, dead sounding, half-hearted moan._

 _His shoulders had instantly tensed and he felt his hand clinging to his fork with such force that he thought he'd had warped the utensil. His eyes had turned hard and when he felt a gentle hand press upon his right knee, he turned them towards his best friend._

" _Just ignore them Harry, you know they are just trying to get a rise out of you." Her tone was firm but even he could hear the anger she had buried underneath it._

" _I know…" his teeth were starting to hurt from his unconscious grinding, "but you know they will just keep pushing if I don't do something. Arseholes always do."_

 _The moaning and groaning kept going on in the background and was rising in volume, as more students joined in on the 'friendly' teasing. Some where doing it from peer pressure, other were going it from delight of picking on the recluse celebrity. Although the few first years were just doing it because they didn't know what was going on and thought it was fun._

 _He watched as emotions flickered across his friend's eyes again, weighing her thoughts and his words to try and find a middle ground. Sadly, she didn't get to voice it as a familiar but barely tolerable conceited voice reached his ears._

" _What the matter, Potter? Believe yourself to superior to answer the call of your family? Oh wait, yours are all dead!"_

 _Rage flashed through his mind and before he even realized he was moving, Harry found himself standing between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Tables. He could hear the mutters around him picking up but he ignored them in favor of focusing on the blonde Slytherin standing before him._

" _Don't talk about my Parents, Malfoy!" his arms were trembling beneath his bandages and he could feel his lips pulling back into a light snarl._

" _Oh? And what's a scarred little Half-blood like you going to do about it?"_

 _He never did get a verbal answer but instead, Harry happily punched the condescending little bastard right in the nose. While Harry wasn't the most physically strong boy alive, he had learned how to throw one back when Dudley used to beat him up with his gang of delinquents._

 _And a smile came to him at the sound of a slight crunching._

 _And then it happened, almost instantly. Crabbe and Goyle, who Harry never even noticed by Malfoy's side, whipped out their wands and send quick beams of light at him._

 _The last thing Harry remember before he was flipped Arse-over-tea-kettle was slimming harshly down upon the bench where he had been sitting not a minutes earlier. He had felt a stab of pain in his side and a warm feeling against his skin._

 _And as his sight started to darken, he felt a tingle of satisfaction run down his spine from the bigoted snake._

" _You wittle bathart!"_

 _But it was quickly followed by an almost ear shattering scream from his bushy friend._

" _HARRY!"_

He never did get to see what happened after that but according to Hermione and the rumors he'd hear in the hall, Lockhart had come over and tried to heal the boy. Now, normally this would at least be okay, however, with Harry's current condition, it wasn't good at all.

Instead of healing him, all the Idiot had managed to do was widen the reopened scar that marred his left side. Now, instead of it being a smallish slash mark of a scar, it looked like an idiot with a dull knife had went at his side. And to make matters worse, the scar went from just under his armpit down to his waist.

Due to the massive increase in blood lose, it had led him to being put in the Infirmary and under Pomphrey's remarkable healing skills. Good for his health, bad for his secret.

With a few quick scans of magic and a floo call to Healer Mcstiek, the truth had been revealed. Of course, it wasn't meant to be told to the student body but given that none of his professors could really hide the truth due to their shifts in look towards him, they had quickly found out.

So, as he scanned Hermione's tight script, he took his time going over the spells she had listed for what was supposed to be their required learning. Most of it he had no current use of, but eventually he'd need it and it would be good to already know it beforehand.

One part that he did take note of was a topic listed in the first chapter of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2,_ mostly the ability to build up power on the very tip of their wand so that their spells have a more powerful charge to them. It would also help them learn control by becoming consciously aware of how much raw power is held at the tip.

Lifting his left hand, Harry stared at it in wonder.

He wasn't sure if it was possible, but he wondered if it was possible to channel magic into his hand and keep it there. At least, on the very base level, according to these notes it was possible with a wand. So, there should be some other way to focus that magic to his hand rather than the tip of a wand. And if it was possible to do it with his wand or hand, then it should be theoretically possible to do it with the rest of his body. He'd have to research into magical foci first though and then move onto Wandless magic.

Excitement flood his system at the thought.

" _I'll use these next few years to do the theoretical stuff first and then, when my magic is back, I'll use all my free time to try and achieve this. It will especially come in handy when Voldemort tries to attack me again."_

Coming to a stop in his wanderings, Harry heard the soft tones of music ring though the air. He knew from Madam Pince that he wasn't near the Music Hall since that was up on the second floor while he was down in the first level of the dungeons.

That only left his Etiquette class.

Following the soft tones of a piano, Harry quickly found himself standing before an open archway that lead into what looked like a classroom. Before even entering the door, Harry could spot what looked like a baker's dozen students. Most of them seemed to be fourth years but it also looked like there were a couple seventh years as well.

To his surprise, the class was a mixed course at the moment. He spotted a fair number of Ravens, Badgers, and to his surprise one Snake sitting all around the class but not a single Lion, besides himself, had arrived.

One other detail he had picked up on was that the Males and Females were sitting on the opposite side. This didn't seem to bother any of them though, granted that could be because all of them had been in the class for a few weeks.

Making sure to put his notes away, he took a slow breath, although the small twinge in his side did remind him that deep breaths were definitely _not_ a good idea, and walked inside.

"Ahh… Good morning, Mr. Potter!" a mellow feminine voice called out, "Please, take your seat with the other gentlemen."

Feeling himself twitch under the sudden stares of both the other kids and their professor, Harry unconsciously bowed his head and scurried over to his side. There weren't many seats available, especially seeing as there were only two tables in the room and both were long enough to fit about 8 students each. So, looking around, he found himself reluctantly sitting between a Hufflepuff and the sole Slytherin Fourth year. Nether one reacted beyond shifting their things a tad so he had room for his own.

His attention was abruptly brought back to the professor when she gave a solid clap of her hands.

"Now that we are all here, I would like to remind each of you that no matter someone's social or Economic class, you are to be polite and courteous in all situations." When her eyes fell on him, he knew what she was going to say, "As I'm sure you are all aware, Mr. Potter was admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital at the end of last year after an incident with a rather magical artifact and being locked into its room while a fire was ablaze. What you do not know, was that due to this incident, Mr. Potter's magic is being funneled entire into destroyed the fragments of this artifact that could not be removed through either external magic or Mundane Medical practices."

By this point, most of the class had taken their eyes of the regal looking woman and had their gazes firmly looked on him with their jaws securely glued to their tables. This seemed to not bother the Professor to much beyond the small tightening of her jaw but she perhaps expected such a reaction. Afterall, it wasn't everyday that they learned a first year was almost killed inside the school and then have their magic fighting for their life.

"Due to this unprecedented occurrence, it has been estimated that Mr. Potter will not be regaining active use of his magic until some time into his Fourth year. However, because he can't use active magic at the moment, he has been placed in classes that he will not need his magic. So, I will be counting on all of you to help him in any class you may see him in, seeing as he can't magically defend himself at the current time."

That last line drew all of their attention back to her, making Harry sigh in relief at the sudden lack of eyes. To his amazement though, some of his classmates actually nodded in acceptance while a few looked hesitant.

To Harry, as long as he had just a few less people trying to curse him in the halls, then he would be just fine.

"Now, onto todays lesson."

Once class was over, Harry quickly and quietly tried to get out of the class. That idea was put on delay when a firm cough from the front of the room caught his attention.

"Mr. Potter, do be a dear and stay behind for a moment, we have matters to discuss."

He would have sighed if he didn't think it wouldn't hurt. So, with the patients of a dead man, he turned on the heels of his feet and made his way up to the front of the class.

Madam Greengrass was a rather average woman in terms of height, standing tall at a record 162 cm with Raven colored hair, similar to his own, that appeared to fall in loose curls and a warm blue colored eye.

In his mind, he wondered how she was related to Daphne Greengrass in his own year. That girl always seemed so aloof and icy whenever he saw her. Although, he was willing to admit that he never really had a chance to see her away from her Slytherin friends, so maybe she would be more like this woman at home.

As he stood there, waiting for his professor to sit, he could feel a few beads of sweat start to form upon his forehead. Knowing it would be seen as rude to whip them away, he just let them rest in hopes that this would be over with soon.

Thankfully, part of his wish would come soon when she took her seat and removed her gloves before motioning to him to follow suit.

"So, tell me Mr. Potter, what did you think of my class?" there was a hint of fascination in her voice but it wasn't overly so, so she must have just been curious.

Feeling his throat start to close, Harry took a quick sip of the offered tea to try and sooth it.

"To be honest, I'm a little lost." She quirked an eyebrow at then and beckoned for him to continue, "Why is it that you have boys and girls so separated? Wouldn't it be better to teach common curtesy, rather than division between genders?" From the little smirk upon her lips, he must have asked at least something of a good question.

"You were raised in the Muggle world, correct?" he nodded, although where he lived, he didn't particularly like, "Well, in my youth, I took a sabbatical trip into that world and learned many things. For instance, there is a raising amount of disrespect amongst both the older generation and the younger ones towards both their peers and those of a high rank. To make matters worse, men are becoming more spiteful to others in general while women are drifting more towards being conceited. And while it is true that these attributes have always been present, it's getting worse with the lack of etiquette being taught by parents and the educational establishments. So, can you figure out why I separate them now?"

As she spoke, one image kept popping into his mind. The daily life of the Dursley family.

Vernon was hateful to pretty much anyone that wasn't his family or on his level of employment and if someone that he sees as bellow him does something he disagrees with, he was not afraid to show it. Harry had more than enough slaps upside the head, lack of food, and heavy beatings to understand that.

Petunia, on the other hand, wasn't afraid to speak bad about anyone, as long as that people wasn't there to hear it. And like her husband, she would inflict abuse upon him and others the moment she didn't agree with something they said. As long as they weren't on or above her level that is.

Dudley…was just Dudley. He beat on others and spoke with a whiny tone or plain hostility to anyone that could hear him.

So, all and all, they were the poster family for impoliteness and enmity.

"Your giving the students away to share their views with those that have to follow the same etiquette as themselves. It gives them connections to people that would understand their situation while if the kids were side by side, they would get into nonstop debates about the injustice of their roles." His voice was shaky again at the start but as his words continued to flow, his confidence rose.

And from the smile on her lips, he had to be close.

"Good answer, especially for someone that just started this class with no true understanding of the Magical Culture." He couldn't help but feel a touch sheepish at that part, it was true after all, but before he could say anything, she started speaking again.

"Now, seeing as the staff decided you would attend my class, although I suspect its because of your recent change in Rankings here at Hogwarts; I was required to speak with Healer Mcstiek. She has informed me of the true effects of your recent accident and the choice you are forced to make in the upcoming years." Utter horror took form within his eyes. He didn't want anyone to know about what happened to him until _he_ was ready to decide and yet, people keep getting told!

Her face softened at that moment, with flashes of remorse her eyes, "For what it's worth, as a member of the staff, I apologize for the lack of protection you were offered in the previous year."

It didn't help. It didn't help at all!

At least, that's what he wanted to say. Instead, he forced himself to swallow the bile that had seeped up his throat. It burnt his esophagus but the last thing he wanted to do was get physically sick in front of a professor, let alone a new one.

Shaking ever so slightly, Harry let his eyes drop upon his clasped hand as they rested in his lap. As the soft glimmer of light ran across his bracelet, he did feel a flash of safety in his mind. In the last few days alone, it had come into great aid when stopping the few dangerous spells that had come at him in the hallways. Prank spells weren't stopped but ones that physically harmed him wouldn't get within two meters of his person before the dark blue shield came to his defense.

The lingering silence was finally ruptured when Madam Greengrass began again.

"Given your options, I am offering my aid on any Female Etiquette or fashions. I can also help you in understanding the Obligations you hold as Heir Apparent of House Potter." Her warm eyes were staring deeply into his own fluorescent green, trying her best to convey utter honesty and willingness to help.

Her words made him gulp, harshly at that.

He didn't want to go girl, in any way, this soon after the _Incident_. He still needed to think, to tell Mione the truth of what happened. He couldn't decide on anything until he knew what his best friend thought on his situation.

"Can I just get help with the Family Stuff? I'm…I'm not ready for any of…of the other stuff yet." Soft hiccups stared to escape him but he tried his best to hold them back before he started breaking down in front of his professor.

"Take your time, Mr. Potter, you have at least a year to decide anything and as long as you are a student of this school, the offer will be there." She paused for a moment to look down at her watch before looking back at him, "Now, go off to lunch. Male or Female, nutrition is crucial for a growing body."

Nodding in understanding, Harry quickly got up and ran out of the room.

Natashia Greengrass sat with her eyes still glued to the seat her newest, and certainly the youngest, student had just vacated in very panicked manor. A small frown marred her lips at the lack of prop decorum for the descendant of the Ancient and Noble House of Black.

She hadn't said it but in current society, the Potter Family had lost their rank among the Elites. Mostly because of the 'innocent' Deatheaters that still roamed the streets and his Great-Grandfather Henry Potter's rather radical support for Muggles.

For Natashia, she felt a rather burning anger inside herself when she thought of the loss in ranking of the Potter House. While, it made a small amount of sense that Voldemort's Supporters would want to harm the Potter family any way they possibly could, it did not make sense as to why Henry caused the loss in rank.

Back in the late 1800s, Henry Potter had not been the only head of the Sacred-Twenty-Eight that were adamant for Anti-Muggle laws being reformed and yet, the Potter Family were the only ones to lose their standings. Even the Weasley's, who had been Prewett at the time, weren't pushed down in ranking for their views. Sure, they were currently labeled 'Blood-traitor' but they still held their position and money, if only in secret by that Charlatan Molly Weasley.

She'd have to look into her family journals to find out just what had happened back in the times of the Potter falling.

Beyond that, she turned her mind towards the true subject at hand.

It didn't take to much intelligence to realize that with Sirius Black locked away in Azkaban, his Godson would be taking over the family. Her Husband was adamant that it would follow Narcissa into the Malfoy Line but she knew better. Afterall, she was the true Greengrass while her husband had just been Heir Secondus to the Flint family while his brother took over the Head Position.

She knew as all Heirs and Heiress Apparent did, that if the Head of Family either doesn't have an Heir of his own or a sibling to take over in his sted, then all titles and wealth would go to the named Godchild. That would only mean, that with Sirius gone, Harry was Heir Apparent of the Black Family as well.

So, while the Potter Family still held to some of the old etiquettes of their lost position, the Blacks were still held to those standards. All this really meant was the young Potters life was about to get ripped open and turned inside out. He would learn facts of the Magical world that no normal muggle-raised child ever could. And he'd probably be shocked to learn some of the more… archaic traditions that were still help in practice.

She wasn't a malicious person by nature but sometimes, she just had to have some fun. It would be so much fun when she tells the news to her Daughter. Although, it might be a better idea if she waits a year or so. That way Potter wont just explode when she brings it up.


End file.
